It seems like improving our diet is on everyone’s “get healthy” to-do list. And with good reason. Researchers and physicians tell us it’s one of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight and improve our overall health.
Unfortunately, it can seem like a nearly impossible task. With hurried schedules and fast foods so easy to get, eating right can fall by the wayside without us even trying. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be a huge effort and it doesn’t have to eat up more of your precious time. It just takes mindfulness.
Being mindful, in short, means being present and purposeful. When applied to diet, it means purposefully choosing what, why, and how you’re eating and making decisions in those moments that lead you toward your healthier eating goals. Thankfully, the American Heart Association has put together some simple tips that can help us do just that.
1. Plan Ahead
The easiest way to start eating healthier is to plan ahead. That means scheduling some time each week to plan what you’ll be eating and when. It might include pulling out some favorite recipes and shopping for the ingredients you’ll need ahead of time. That will make sure you stock up on healthy options. Then, if don’t have time to cook throughout the week, set aside some time to prepare all your meals at once and store them for convenient reheating. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but the time you spend will keep you focused and on track.
2. Get To Know Your Food
Managing what you eat starts with knowing what you eat. Food nutrition labels are a great source of information about what you’re getting with the food you buy. You’ll find information about servings, calories, nutrients, and the daily value of those nutrients. So make it a habit to read and compare nutrition labels and pick healthy foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber but limit sodium, added sugars, saturated fat, and trans fat.
3. Stock Up
If you want to eat better, you’ll need to prepare more of your own food. And to do that as efficiently and easily as you’d like, you’ll need healthy ingredients on hand. This means always having some basic ingredients in your cabinets, pantry, fridge, and freezer. It’s especially helpful on those busy days when don't have a chance to get to the grocery store.
Here are some great, healthy ingredients to keep in your cabinets or pantry:
- Dry beans like black beans, chickpeas, pintos, and red beans
- Canned “dinner builder” items like beans, chicken, salmon, tuna, and soup
- Canned vegetables for adding to soup, rice, pasta, and sauces
- Canned and dried fruits with no added sugars
- Whole-grain pasta, brown rice and other easy whole grains like couscous and quinoa
- Whole grain bread or tortillas
- Old-fashioned rolled oats, instant oatmeal, and whole-grain cereal for a quick breakfast
- Whole-wheat flour, oat flour, and cornmeal for baking
- Nuts, seeds, and nut butters for healthy snacking
- Healthy cooking oils like canola, corn, or olive plus nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
- Balsamic vinegar and low-sodium soy sauce for salad dressings and sauces
- Spaghetti or marinara sauce in jars
- Low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth for making soup
- Dried herbs and spices, salt-free seasoning blend, pepper
When you're looking for healthy ingredients that say fresh in your fridge or freezer, try these:
- Frozen vegetables without salty sauces that make easy sides and add-ins
- Frozen fruits without added sugars for cereal, yogurt, and smoothies
- Low-fat/non-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese
- Frozen meats like fish filets, skinless chicken breasts, or lean ground beef
- Soft margarine with no trans fat
4. Embrace Cooking
The fact is, when you cook at home you have more control over ingredients and portion sizes. So aim to cook at home more often than you carry out. There are also lots of healthier cooking methods to try that don’t add as much fat, like roasting, grilling, baking, or steaming. You’ll also find you need less salt (if any) and you may even turn the most anti-veggie kid into a fan.
5. Manage Portions
How much you eat is as important as what you eat. And it’s important to keep in mind that serving size does not always equal portion size. Check the serving size and servings per container on your foods’ nutrition labels because what might seem like a typical portion could actually equal two or more servings. And while you’ll be eating healthier, you may not be eating better.
6. Snack Smart
Cravings in between meals can tempt you to reach for unhealthy snacks. Try keeping fresh fruit and pre-chopped or no-chop veggies on hand. You’re more likely to grab fruits and vegetables over other items if they’re readily available. Whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheeses or yogurts are great to-go snacks, too. So are whole fruits like apples, bananas, peaches, plums, and oranges. A small handful of nuts or seeds can be a satisfying and healthy snack, too, including unsalted or lightly salted nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts.
7. Make It Fun
Every new healthy habit can get a little boring after a while. That’s why it’s important to make healthy eating fun. Pick out a new fruit or vegetable in the grocery store each week and figure out how to cook or prepare them in a healthy way. See how many different colors of fruits and vegetable you can eat each day. And get your kids in the kitchen! Keep a step stool by the counter and give them age-appropriate tasks to do. They’ll likely be more excited to try new, healthy foods when they’ve been involved in the preparation process.
So take eating better off your “get-healthy” to-do list by trying these simple tips. When you do, you just might find that you’re not just eating better, but feeling better, too.
At Mount Carmel our licensed, registered dietitians/nutritionists (RDNs) have the knowledge you need. They’ll meet with you personally, determine your dietary needs, help you establish realistic goals and follow up with you as needed to evaluate your progress and suggest modifications. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out to Amy Lewis, Supervisor of Clinical Nutrition with our Mount Carmel Medical Group, at Amy.Lewis@mchs.com or 614-627-1830 ext. 88187.